Folding umbrella



June 25, 1940. E. OKUN Re. 21,492

FOLDING UMBRELLA Original Filed Jan. 15, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENTOR.

"'\ ,A 1 44 i 46 EDWAR Q 22 Y a I H ATTORNEY.

June 25; 1940.

EQQKUN Re. 21,492

FOLDING UMBRELLA v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 15, 1958INVENTOR. (v EDWARD UKUN BY f;

ATTORNEY.

Reissuecl June 25, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING UMBRELLAEdward Okun, New York, N. Y., assignor to American Folding UmbrellaCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York 22 Claims.

This invention relates to umbrellas, and more particularly to foldingumbrellas, and the primary object of the invention is to generallyimprove such umbrellas.

Umbrellas which fold to particularly small dimension by making theumbrella stick of telescopic partsand by articulating the ribs, arealready known. Such an umbrella is described in my Patent No. 2,068,067,granted January 19, 1937. As heretofore constructed, the ribs are madeof strips of metal having a substantially rectangular section. Thesection is made rectangular with a View to obtaining flexibility in onedirection, together with adequate strength, and with a further view tominimizing the overall diameter of the umbrella when it is folded. Theends of the ribs are twisted and machined to facilitate articulation ofthe ribs and pivoting of the ribs on the umbrella stick.

The resulting structure has proved to be unsatisfactory for a number ofreasons. The ribs have no sideward flexibility, being flexible only inone direction. Moreover, to avoid excess weight and in order tofacilitate working or machining the ends of the ribs, it has been foundnecessary to make the same of a comparatively soft pliable metal. rawstock as purchased by the umbrella manufacturer cannot be prehardenedbecause then it cannot be satisfactorily worked, and it is not feasibleto harden the parts after fabricating the same, first, because of thelarge attendant expense, and second, because of substantial warping ofthe parts during hardening. In consequence, the ribs are left soft, andthis is disadvantageous because if deformed during use, they take a setor deformed position, which spoils the appearance of the umbrella whenopen, and the compactness when closed. Moreover, the difiiculty has beena self-aggravating one, with a soft pliable metal it has been necessaryto use metal of larger section, and this in turn causes the completedumbrellas to look undesirably cumbersome, metallic and machinelike, andprevents the umbrella from folding to the desired small-diameter,compact condition.

One important object of the present invention is to overcome theforegoing difficulties, and in accordance with a feature of myinvention, I employ slender round wire stock whichis hardened steel orother appropriate spring metal. The wire is inexpensive because of itssimple round section, and may be very slender because of its resilientcharacter, and even more importantly, because the desired stability andbreadth of section is obtained by using a plurality, preferably two,such strength is obtained, together with flexibility, and.

at the same time the structure folds to very small diametricaldimension. Special fittings are used at the ends of the wires, thusavoiding working I of the metal.

In accordance with a further feature and object of the invention, theribs are flexible in all directions, despite the fact that the sectionis broad in one direction. Sideward bending of the rib is accommodatedby the flexibility of the rib itself, anddoes not result in looseningthe hinge.

A further and more detailed object centers about the attachment of thefittings to the wires. To solder or braze the parts is prohibitivelyexpensive, and Welding spoils the temper of the springwire. I find itdesirable to use a non-ferrous or rust-proof metal for the fittings inorder to prevent binding at the pivots, and this metal is relativelysoft. By roughening or knurling the hardened wire, the fitting may beclamped on the wire and securely attached because of interlocking of thehard and soft metals.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as willhereinafter appear, my invention consists in the umbrella elements andtheir relation one to the other, as hereinafter are more particularlydescribed in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims.The

specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the under side of an umbrella embodyingfeatures of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a rib constructed in accordance with myinvention:

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the runner, and showing theconnection between the lower end of the spreader and the runner;

Fig. 4 shows the connection between the upper end of the spreader andthe rib;

Fig. 5 is explanatory of the sideWard flexibility of my improvedumbrella rib;

Fig. 6 is a section taken through the hinge of the rib taken in the planof the line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the runner;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section through the runner taken in the plane ofthe line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a section through the handle of the umbrella with the umbrellain folded condition; and

Fig. 10 shows a wire knurled to ensure secure attachment of the fitting.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, the umbrellacomprises an umbrella stick having telescopically related parts I2 andI4, these preferably being made of tubular metal and having a springdetent l6 for holding the parts in extended relation when the umbrellais being used. The ribs are articulated, there being upper ribs, l8 andlower ribs 26 hingedly connected together at 22. The upper and lowerribs each consist of a pair of collaterally disposed spring wires, thesewires preferably being of simple round section. With the constructionshown, the wires may be very slender so that the finished umbrella doesnot have the cumbersome heavy metallic and machine-like appearance ofconventional folding umbrellas. The upper ribs l8 are pivotallyconnected to the upper stick portion [2 at 24. Spreaders 26 areprovided, these being connected at their lower ends to a tubular runner28 which is slidable on upper stick I2. The upper ends of spreaders 26are pivotally connected to upper ribs I8 by means of appropriatefittings 38. The runner 28 is held in the top position shown, that is,with the ribs in spread condition, by means of an appropriate detent 32mounted on the umbrella stick, and this detent is released by a specialfingerpiece 34 pivotally mounted on runner 28.

Considering the construction of the umbrella in greater detail, andreferring now to Fig. 2 of the drawings, the upper rib l8 compriseswires 48 and 42 arranged in side by side or collateral relation. Thelower rib 28 similarly comprises collaterally disposed wires 44 and 46.The twin wires 44 and 46 may be and preferably are slightly smaller indiameter than the twin wires 48 and 42. In one specific example, whichhas worked out well in practice, the wires 48 and 42 are .066" indiameter, while wires 44 and 46 are .062" in diameter. The wires may bemade of steel or other suitable resilient material, and these wires maybe appropriately hardened or tempered because no attempt is made tomachine or work the same, the connections to the wires being made byspecial fittings which are next described.

The fittings as here illustrated are all formed of sheet metal. They arepreferably made of a nonferrous metal, for example, nickel-silver, orbrass, in order to prevent any possibility of rusting at the pivotalconnections. Rusting of the wires is prevented by electro-plating theentire rib and spreader assembly after the parts have been fabricated,but inasmuch as the plating may be worn away at the pivotal connections,I prefer to use non-ferrous metal for such connections. The end pivotfitting at the upper end of the rib l8 consists of a body of sheet metalthe upper end of which is shaped and bent to form parallel ears 48preferably connected by a web of metal 58 extending therebetween. Theears 48 are perforated at 52 for pivotal connection to the top of theumbrella stick. This is done by using a conventional peripherallychanneled head 54, preferably made of non-ferrous metal, thecircumference of which is slotted at 56 to receive ears 48. A pivotwire, not shown, passes through the perforations 52 and is anchored inchannel 68. The lower part of the sheet metal body encompasses the endsof wires 48 and 42. More specifically, the side edge 68 is curled aboutwire 46 and the side edge 62 is curled about wire 42. The parts mayconceivably be additionally secured together by soldering, brazing,spot-welding, or other appropriate means. But soldering and brazing areprohibitively expensive, and welding spoils the temper of the springmetal and makes the same excessively brittle. I have, therefore, deviseda different mode of attachment and find that an adequate secureattachment of the parts may be obtained by preliminarily roughen ing orknurling the ends of the wire, and thereafter clamping the fitting onthe roughened ends. The form of the knurling may vary, but that shown inFig. 10 is adequate and is convenient because it may be produced bysimple reciprocating V-shaped dies moved toward one another against thewire, thus indenting or ridging the same on four sides. The curling ofthe edges 60 and 62 about the wires serves not only to secure thefitting to each of the wires, but also, to space the wires somewhatapart, and this is desirable in order to give the rib a broad over-allsection while using slender wire.

The fitting 36 is wrapped about the wires approximately midway betweenthe ends thereof. It is folded in the opposite direction, that is, withthe closed side 64 outermost. The construction of this fitting is bestshown in Fig. 4, in which it will be seen that ears 66 are formed at theedges of a piece of sheet metal, these ears being bent to parallelspaced position and perforated to receive a pivot pin 68. Spreader 26 ismade of a single piece of round wire of somewhat greater diameter andits upper end is pinched or flattened at 18 to fit between ears 66, thepart 18 being perforated to receive pin 68. Spreader 26 need not be andis preferably not made of tempered carbon steel wire, but is merely coldrolled, it being somewhat heavier in diameter, say 3 This material isreadily worked to form the end 18. The edges of the sheet metal fittingon each side of the ears 66 are curled around the respectively adjacentrib wires, and here again, the construction is such that the fitting isindependently clamped onto each of the wires and the wires arepreferably separated by the edges of the fitting, that is, by an amountequal to double the thickness of the sheet material used for thefitting. Here also, the rib wires may be roughened or knurled beforeclamping the fitting in place.

The lower ends of spreaders 26 are similarly pinched to form flattenedparts 12 (Fig. 3) which are perforated'to receive wire 14 secured inchannel 16 extending about the periphery of the upper end of runner 28.

The hinge fitting 22 has pivotally connected outer and inner portions.The outer portion has ears 16 formed at its side edges, and these carsare preferably refined by inwardly turned flanges 18 which are smoothand rounded and the object of which is to prevent abrasion and wear ofthe fabric covering of the umbrella, it being understood that the ears16 face outwardly or toward the fabric. The ears are perforated toreceive a. hinge pin 88. Above ears 16 the edges of the sheet metal areturned inwardly around the respectively adjacent rib wires, the edgesterminating between the wires and thereby spacing the same as. waspreviously explained. Here again, the ends of the wires arepreliminarily roughened or knurled to insure a secure grip by thefitting on the wires.

Below the cars 16 the edges of the metal form parallel guide flanges 82,the relation of these flanges being best shown in Fig. 6. The flangesare so spaced as to receive the lower hinge portion 84, thereby holdingthe upper and lower ribs in alignment.

The lower or inner hinge part 84 follows the general character ofconstruction previously explained, that is, it consists of. a piece ofpreferably non-ferrous sheet material the upper part of which is bent toform perforated ears 86, best shown in Fig. 5, these ears beingconnected by a web of metal 88 which strengthens and rigidifies thefitting and which additionally functions to present a smooth surface tothe umbrella fabric. The lower part of the fitting encompasses the upperends of wires M and 46, the edges of the metal being curled about therespectively adjacent wires and the wires being preliminarily roughenedas aforesaid. Here again, the edges of the fitting terminating betweenthe wires function to slightly space the wires. The lower hinge part ispreferably the same as the pivot fitting numbered 48, 50, etc., at theupper end of the rib, but faces in opposite direction.

While it is not new to use guide flanges 82 to hold the upper and lowerribs in alignment, I may point out that with the present construction,the guide flanges function successfully and admirably for the intendedpurpose, whereas with a rectangular rib having a twisted end, the guideflanges were not particularly successful, this being due to the factthat most of the length of that part of the lower rib coining betweenthe guide flanges was twisted to form a part of the hinge, thusafiording very little bearing surface between the lower rib and theguide flanges. With the present construction, the sides of the hingepart 84 are parallel up to a point very close to the hinge pin, andsubstantial bearing surface is obtained between the parts, as will beseen in Figs. 2 and 5. The relation between these parts will be evidentfrom. inspection of. Fig. 6 which, incidentally, shows the curling ofthe edges of the fitting about the wire as well as the indentations 88which are visible because the indentations here used are biased ratherthan strictly transverse of the wire.

The end. tip fitting 82 consists of a piece of sheet material the edgesEIII of the upper part of which are curled around the respectivelyadjacent wires, the wires being preliminarily knurled, all as has beenexplained. The lower part of the fitting is narrower than the upper partand its edges 66 are turned toward one another to form a single tubularend which is well adapted to receive any appropriate ornamental tip,such as the tip 98 shown. in the drawings. These tips are customarilymade of. colored plastic material rather than metal, and may beperforated, as shown at I00, to receive a thread holding the umbrellafabric in proper position. The metal blank for the fitting is somewhatT-shaped, with the parts of the T exaggeratedly broad. The ends of theupper part of the T are curled about the wires, while the lower part ofthe T is curled to form a tubular end.

The flexibility of my novel improved double wire rib in a directionperpendicular to the plane of the two wires, that is, in a directionaccommodating the curvature of, the ribs when the urnbrella is opened,as shown in 1, will be selfevident, for the wires are slender and arelocated side by side, and both bend together. The manner in which therib will accommodate sideward bending, that is, bending in the plane ofthe two wires, is not so evident, but Will be understood by reference to5, in which it will be seen. that if the tip 96 of the rib is bentsidewardly, the rib accommodates the bend because one of the wires, inthis case the wire 44, rides over and takes a curvature different fromand independent of the other wire 45. This avoids excessive strain onthe hinge 22, and the initial fit between the guide flanges 82 and thelower hinge part 84 is maintained throughout the life of. the umbrella.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 7, and 8, the upper umbrella stick I2 isprovided with a spring detent 32 formed at the lower end of a piece ofspring metal I02 having an inwardly bent part I84 received in a matingslot I95. The lower part I08 of the detent spring is oscillatable in aslot III). The spring is held anchored in position on stick I2 by a ringII2, one side of which is grooved at I M to receive spring I02. Thelower end or operative part 32 of the detent is dimensioned to fit intoa mating slot IIE cut through the side wall of runner 23, is best shownin Fig. 8. Runner 28 provided with a fingerpiece 34 disposed in front ofdetent 32, and provided with ears I I8 perforated to receive the wire I4(see Figs. 3, 7, and 8). The lower part of fingerpiece 34 is indented atI20, forming a protuberance which bears against detent 32 and moves itinto the umbrella stick and clear of the runner when it is desired toclose the umbrella. Fingerpiece 34 is broad and smooth compared to thetiny surfaces of detent 32, and is therefore more comfortable to use.

Referring now to Fig. 9, I there show the lower end of the umbrella whenit is in closed condition. The upper tube I2 is moved down over thelower tube I4. The lower tube carries a suitable ornamental handle I22,this preferably being made of a suitable plastic composition. Handle I22is provided with an inner flange I28 which receives the lower end ofrunner 28. A spring I26 may be carried within flange I28 for cooperationwith a ledge I24 formed at the lower end of the runner. The handle I22may also be provided with an outer flange I30. This encompasses andprotectively houses the lower ends of hinges 22 and particularly theguide flanges 82 thereof. Flange I38 also functions to receive the tips98 of the umbrella when the umbrella is closed without folding the sameto half length. For this purpose, the handle I22 is preferably madeslightly reciprocable with respect to the lower tube I4 on which it ismounted, More specifically, handle I22 is threadedly mounted on anauxiliary tube I32, this tube being limitedly slidable Within the lowerend of tube I4. To limit the motion of tube I32, it is slotted at I34 toreceive a pin I36 which passes diametrically through and is anchored intube I4. Pin I36 also functions to hold the upper end of a spring I38the lower end of which is connected to the hairdle and tube I32 by meansof a pin I40. It will be evident that spring I38 normally holds handle I22 in the position shown, but that the handle may be pulled outwardlysomewhat when it is desired to receive the tips 88 of the umbrella ribstherewithin, in order to hold the umbrella in closed condition when theumbrella. has not yet been folded to half length, as, for example, whenthe umbrella is still wet, or is going to be further used in the courseof a rainy day.

It is believed that the construction and operation, as well as the manyadvantages of my improved folding umbrella, will be apparent from theforegoing detailed description thereof. It will also be apparent that,while I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, manychanges and'modifications may be made in the structure disclosed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention defined in the fol" lowingclaims.

I claim: l. A folding umbrella rib comprising hingedl connected upperand lower ribs each consisting of a plurality of wires arranged side byside.

2. A folding umbrella rib comprising hingedly connected upper and lowerribs, each including a pair of collaterally arranged wires, said wiresbeing made of suitably hardened spring metal, and fittings made of softrust-proof metal secured to the ends of said wires and functioning tohold the same in desired relation and to hingedly connect the upper andlower ribs.

3. A folding umbrella rib comprising pairs of collateral resilient wiresacting as upper and lower ribs, and sheet metal fittings secured to saidwires, the fittings each comprising connected perforated ears projectingfrom a sheet metal body encompassing the wires, the side edges of saidbody being curled around the respectively adjacent wires to secure thesame to each of the wires and to hold the wires in slightly spacedrelation.

4. A folding umbrella rib comprising pairs of collateral wires acting asupper and lower ribs, said wires being made of hardened spring metal andhaving knurled ends, and soft rust-proof sheet metal fittings secured tosaid wires, the fittings each comprising connected perforated earsprojecting from a sheet metal body encompassing the wires, the sideedges of said body being curled around the knurled ends of therespectively adjacent wires.

5. A folding umbrella rib comprising collapsibly related upper and lowerribs, the upper and lower ribs each comprising a pair of collateralresilient solid wires, and a fitting at the lower end of the lower ribconsisting of a generally T-shaped sheet metal body, the upper part ofwhich has one side curled around the end of one wire and the other sidecurled around the end of the other wire, while the lower part of saidfitting is curled to itself form a single tubular tip at the end of thedouble rib for receiving a conventional ornament.

6. A folding umbrella rib comprising pairs of collateral resilient wiresacting as upper and lower ribs, and sheet metal fittings secured to saidwires, the fittings at the lower end of said upper rib comprising asheet metal body the middle part of which forms ears for receiving ahinge pin, the side edges above said ears being curled around therespectively adjacent wires of the upper rib and the side edges belowsaid ears forming a guide channel for receiving the fitting at the upperend of the lower rib, and the fitting at the upper end of the lower ribcomprising a pair of connected perforated ears to receive the hinge pinand projecting upwardly from a sheet metal body the edges of which arecurled around the respectively adjacent wires of the lower rib.

7. A folding umbrella rib comprising pairs of collateral wires acting asupper and lower ribs, said wires being resilient and round in section,and sheet metal fittings secured to said wires, the fitting at theupperend of the upper rib comprising connected perforated earsprojecting from a sheet metal body encompassing the wires, the sideedges of said body being curled around the respectively adjacent wires,the fitting at the middle of the upper rib comprising a sheet metal bodyhaving depending perforated ears at the middle, the edges of said bodyabove and below said ears being curled around the respectively adjacentwires, the fitting at the lower end of said upper rib comprising a sheetmetal body the middle part of which forms ears for receiving a. hingepin, the side edges above said ears being curled around the respectivelyadjacent wires of the upper rib and the side edges below said earsforming a guide channel for receiving the fitting at the upper end ofthe lower rib, the fitting at the upper end of the lower rib comprisinga pair of connected perforated ears projecting upwardly from a sheetmetal body the edges of which are curled around the respectivelyadjacent wires of the lower rib, the fitting at the lower end of thelower rib consisting of a sheet metal body, the upper part of which hasits side edges curled around the respectively adjacent wires and thelower part of which is curled to form a single tubular tip for receivinga conventional ornament.

8. A folding umbrella rib comprising articulated upper and lower ribsconnected together by a suitable pivotal connection, the upper rib andlower rib each comprising a plurality of solid round wires arranged sideby side and made of comparatively hard springy metal.

9. A folding umbrella rib comprising articulated upper and lower ribsconnected together by a suitable pivotal connection, the upper rib andlower rib each comprising two solid wires arranged side by side, saidwires being made of comparatively hard springy metal and having a simpleround section, and the upper wires being slightly larger in diameterthan the lower wires.

10. A folding umbrella rib comprising articulated upper and lower ribs,each upper rib and lower rib comprising twin resilient wires arrangedside by side, said wires being made of hardened spring metal and havingknurled ends, and fittings formed of soft rust-proof sheet metal andsecured to the ends of the ribs, the side edges of said fittings beingcurled around the knurled ends of the respectively adjacent wires.

11. A folding umbrella comprising articulated upper and lowerribsconnected together by a suitable pivotal connection, a runner, andspreaders connected between said runner andthe upper ribs, each upperrib and lower rib comprising a plurality of slender wires made of hardresilient material and arranged side by side, the Spreaders being madeof softer thicker wire and having flattened perforated ends, andfittings formed of sheet metal and secured to the ribs, the fittingseach comprising perforated ears projecting from a sheet metal bodyencompassing the wires, the side edges of said body being curled aroundthe respectively adjacent wires, the upper fiattened perforated ends ofthe spreaders being pivotally received between the perforated ears ofthe fittings, and the lower flattened perforated ends of the spreadersbeing pivotally received by the runner.

12. A folding umbrella rib comprising articulated upper and lower ribs,each upper rib and lower rib comprising twin resilient wires arrangedside by side, said wires having a simple round section with the wires ofthe upper ribs slightly larger in diameter than the wires of the lowerribs, and fittings formed of sheet metal and secured to the ribs, thefittings each comprising perforated ears projecting from a sheet metalbody encompassing the wires, the side edges of said body being curledaround the respectively adjacent wires.

13. A folding umbrella rib comprising articulated upper and lower ribs,each upper rib and lower rib comprising twin resilient wires arrangedside by side, said wires being made of hardened spring metal and havingknurled ends, and fittings secured to the ends of the ribs, saidfittings encompassing the knurled ends of the ribs for secure attachmentthereto.

14. An end tip fitting, for an umbrella part comprising a pair ofcollateral wires, said end tip fitting consisting of a sheet metal body,the upper part of the body being Wider than the lower part and havingone side folded around and clamped against the end of one of the Wires,and having its other side folded around and clamped against the end ofthe collateral wire, while the narrower lower part of said fitting formsa single end for receiving a conventional ornamental tip.

15. An end tip fitting, for an umbrella rib comprising a pair ofcollateral round spring wires having knurled ends, said end tip fittingconsisting of a somewhat T--shaped sheet metal body made of metal softerthan the wires, the upper part of the T-shaped body having one endcurled around and compressed against the knurled end of one of thewires, and having its other end curled around and compressed against theknurled end of the collateral wire, while the lower part of said fittingis curled to itself form a single tubular end for receiving aconventional ornamental tip.

16. A hinge fitting for hingedly connecting umbrella parts made up ofcollateral wires, said hinge fitting comprising pivotally connectedinner and outer portions made of sheet metal, the inner portionincluding a part folded around and clamped against the end of one wire,a part folded around and clamped against the end of the collateral wire,and perforated side walls, the outer portion having a part folded aroundand clamped against the end of one wire, and another part folded aroundand clamped against the end of the collateral wire, and spaced connectedside walls perforated to receive a hinge pin with the aforesaidperforated side walls of the inner portion disposed therebetween, saidconnected side walls of the outer portion being extended beyond thehinge pin to form a guide housing for receiving the folded portion ofthe inner fitting.

17. A hinge fitting for hingedly connecting the upper and lower parts ofa folding umbrella rib made up of collateral round spring wires havingknurled ends, said hinge fitting comprising pivotally connected innerand outer portions made of sheet material softer than the wires, theinner portion including a part folded about and compressed against theknurled end of one wire, a part folded about and compressed against theknurled end of the collateral wire, and connected perforated side walls,the outer portion having a part folded around and compressed against theknurled end of one wire, and another part folded around and compressedagainst the knurled end of the collateral wire, and spaced earsperforated to receive a hinge pin with the aforesaid perforated sidewalls of the inner portion disposed therebetween, the exposed edges ofthe ears being flanged inwardly, said outer portion being longitudinallyextended beyond the hinge pin to form a guide housing for receiving thefolded portion of the inner fitting.

18. A fitting for pivotally connecting an umbrella part to anotherumbrella part made up of collateral wires, said fitting comprising apiece of sheet metal having a main part with ears projectingtransversely therefrom and perforated to provide bearing holes, one sideof the main part being curled around and clamped against one of thewires, and the other side of the main part being curled around andclamped against the other wire,while the two ears are brought intospaced collateral relation for receiving a pivot.

19. A fitting for pivotally connecting a spreader to a rib made up ofcollateral spring wires which are roughened or knurled at the pointwhere the fitting is secured, said fitting comprising a piece of sheetmaterial softer than the wires and having a main part with earsprojecting transversely from the side edges thereof and perforated toprovide bearing holes, one side of the main part I being curled aroundand compressed against the knurled part of one of the wires, and theother side of the main part being curled around and compressed againstthe knurled part of the other wire, while the two ears are brought intospaced collateral relation, for receiving a pivot.

20. An end pivot fitting, for an umbrella part comprising a pair ofcollateral wires, said end 5 pivot fitting being made of sheet metal andhaving a part folded around and clamped against the end of one of thewires, and another part folded about and clamped against the end of thecollateral wire, the remainder of said fitting projecting beyond theends of the wires and being shaped to form side walls which areperforated to receive a pivot.

1 21. An end pivot fitting, for an umbrella part comprising a pair ofcollateral spring wires having knurled ends, said end pivot fittingbeing made of sheet metal softer than the Wires and having a part curledaround and compressed against the knurled end of one of the wires, andanother part curled about and compressed against the knurled end of thecollateral wire, the remainder of said fitting projecting beyond theends of the wires and being shaped to form adjacent side walls which areperforated to receive a pivot, and which are connected by an integralweb of metal.

22. An umbrella part comprising a pair of collateral round spring Wireshaving knurled ends and pivotal fittings at the ends of said umbrellapart, said pivotal fittings each being made of sheet metal softer thanthe wires and each having a part curled about and clamped against theknurled end of one of the wires and another part curled about andclamped against the adjacent knurled end of the other wire, and sidewalls extending outwardly from said parts beyond the ends of, the wires,said side walls being perforated to receive a pivot.

EDWARD OKU'N.

